Oh yes, you read that right! Let me tell you, this is one evil dessert! The first time I ever tried Crème Brulee was at a cute and cozy café in Sugarland, TX after Christmas shopping with my family when I was about 17 years old. Sitting by a warm fireplace with Christmas music playing in the background, and eating lovely Caramel Crème Brulee felt so fancy shamcy. Yes, this French dessert made my goofy 17 year old self feel so sophisticated…ooh la la. But the best part? It was so crazy delish!

After that I became somewhat obsessed with wanting to make Crème Brulee at home but was a little nervous because such a fancy dessert had to be super complicated, right? Plus it involved using a torch… yeah, me + a torch = potential disaster. So there it sat on my “To Bake” list (yes, I have one those…don’t judge) for years. Revered. Honored. Feared. I knew it would take something special to come along one day to give me the push and courage I needed to finally step out and conquer the almighty Crème Brulee.

And it came, it came in the form of a recipe. A recipe I found on Pinterest (where else?) a few months ago for (drum roll) … Cookie Dough Crème Brulee!

Crème Brulee that involved one of my ultimate guilty pleasures in this world?! Yes, please! This was the push I had been waiting for, folks, and I knew I had to attempt it a.s.a.p. Turns out Crème Brulee (which means burnt cream in French) is actually one of the easiest desserts you will ever make… and you don’t even need a torch to make it. Though I must admit, I have a crazy urge to use one next time (insert evil laugh here). 😉

So I don’t know about you but I will eat just about anything if the words “cookie dough” are present. Though this was not always the case. I will admit I used to think that people just ate cookie dough because it seemed like a “cool” thing to do. This for some reason seemed like a very “trendy” & “popular” thing to do in the 90’s … right along with those silly tiny backpacks that every girl had to have and wear over one shoulder. Remember those? A trend that much to my mom’s disappointment I would not take any part of, no matter how hard she tried to get me to. Because I was an anti-conformist. And anything that was supposedly “cool” was something I wanted no part of. Yes, I was one of those kids. But anyways, I digress.

But now I think I may be making up for lost time… because whenever I make chocolate chip cookies it takes all the self control I have not to eat all the dough. (I’m serious, it’s like freakin’ salmonella feast…it’s bad.) So needless to say, this was the Crème Brulee of my dreams. And the cookie dough in this dessert is eggless so feel free to go to town… just leave some for the Crème Brulee. 😉

A thick & gooey layer of chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom, a luscious & creamy custard in the middle, and a crispy layer of caramelized sugar on top. Getting all three layers on a spoon is the only way to experience this wonderful flavor combination.

Like I said it’s super easy to make and fast as well. The longest part of this whole process is the baking and cooling time. If you are using your oven to caramelize the sugar like I did, know that it works great, but be sure to keep a close eye on it as it can go from caramelized to burnt rather quickly.

This dessert would make a lovely addition to your Christmas dinner and a great way to wow your guests. I hope you try making Crème Brulee for yourself… way sooner than I did. Bon appetite! 🙂

Ingredients:

4 (3oz) creme brûlée ramekins

For Cookie Dough –

1/2 stick unsalted butter- room temperature

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons cream

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

For Custard –

3/4 cup of heavy cream

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup of turbinado or granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300. Grab a pot and bring about 2 cups of water to boil, this will be used as a water bath for the brûlée later.

Ready for dough? Using your beater attachment, beat the butter & sugars together on medium until light and fluffy. About 2-3 minutes. Then add in the milk and vanilla. Turn it down to low speed, and add the flour and salt. Take a spoon and enjoy a taste. Now spread thin layer of 1 heaping tablespoon of the dough on the bottom of each ramekin. Press 1/2 tablespoon of chocolate chips on to the dough of each ramekin. Set aside.

Custard Time! Grab a sauce pan and heat the heavy cream until it starts to steam, do not let it boil. In the meantime whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light in color. About 1-2 minutes. Now, carefully pour the warmed cream, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking vigorously until incorporated. Stir in the vanilla, and skim off any foam from the mixture. Pour the foam free custard into the ramekins.

In a deep baking pan arrange the ramekins, they should be spread apart with room for the water bath. Carefully pour enough boiling water unto the side of the baking pan so it fills up about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until the custard is almost set. The centers should be a little jiggly. Remove them from the water bath and let them cool at room temperature. After they cool completely, cover each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hrs or overnight.

That crunchy topping Remove from the fridge, unwrap, and sprinkle 1 generous tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar evenly over the custard.

If using kitchen torch: Caramelize the sugar by moving it evenly over the sugar. Torch until the sugar is melted.

If using oven: Turn your oven on to broil. Move the oven rack to the top position; the closer the creme brulee gets to the broiler, the quicker it will burn. You want it to burn quickly without cooking the custard inside. Place the creme brulee dishes on a cookie sheet; this will keep your oven clean in case anything bubbles and spills over. It also makes for easy and quick removal when the sugar is finished burning.

Watch the creme brulee in the oven. It will take between three and five minutes to burn appropriately, so don’t walk away while they broil. Remove the creme brulee from the oven and allow it to sit for ten minutes to allow the sugar to harden. Serve warm or place back in the refrigerator for half an hour before serving chilled.